Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Planning a Super Bowl Party? You'll want to get in a lot of beer and chocolate! How about in one Super Bowl taste treat? Celebrations, a party planning website, recommends Chocolate Guinness Cupcakes: Beer & Chocolate! The other day I posted Super Bowl Chocolate Guinness Pretzel Truffles. Beer and Chocolate goes so well together, so here's a recipe for Super Bowl Chocolate Guinness Cupcakes, adapted from Amy Berman, Chef &a Co-Owner of Vanilla Bake Shop. I love the Guinness Buttercream Frosting!

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Bring stout and butter to simmer in large saucepan over medium heat. Do not boil.
Add chocolate chunks to hot stout/butter mixture. Whisk until chocolate melts. Turn heat off and let cool.
Add sugar to chocolate mixture and whisk to combine.
Sift flour, baking soda and salt.
In stand-alone mixer with whisk attachment, combine eggs and sour cream on medium speed.
Add stout-chocolate mixture to egg mixture and combine on medium-low speed until incorporated.
Slowly add flour mixture in thirds to chocolate mixture with whisk
attachment. Scrape sides with whisk to make sure all
dry ingredients combined.
Place cupcake papers in pan and divide batter into cups evenly. Fill about 2/3 of cup.
Bake 18-24 minutes or until tops are firm to the touch, and toothpick comes out clean when inserted into cupcake.
Let cool on wire rack before frosting.

Directions
In sauce pan, simmer Guinness on low heat for 10-15 min, until stout becomes reduced and thicker in consistency--similar to syrup. *Tip: keep your eye on the store, so stout does not over cook. Let cool.
In stand alone mixer, cream butter 1 minute
Slowly add powdered sugar in thirds, alternating with some milk each time till mixture is creamy.
Add scraped vanilla bean and vanilla extract.
Slowly add reduced Guinness a little at a time. Taste test to desired flavor. You may not use all the Guinness reduction.
Place buttercream in piping bag with French star tip (or plain plastic bag with corner cut off), frost cupcakes --or just ice.

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

They were humble farmers who grew corn and dwelt in subterranean pit
houses. But the people who lived 1200 years ago in a Utah village known
as Site 13,
near Canyonlands National Park in Utah, seem to have had at least
one indulgence: chocolate. Researchers report that half a dozen bowls
excavated from the
area contain traces of chocolate, the earliest known in North
America. The finding implies that by the end of the 8th century C.E.,
cacao beans, which grow
only in the tropics, were being imported to Utah from orchards
thousands of kilometers away.

The discovery could force archaeologists to rethink the widely held
view that the early people of the northern Southwest, who would go on to
build enormous
masonry "great houses" at New Mexico's Chaco Canyon and create fine
pottery, had little interaction with their neighbors in Mesoamerica.
Other scientists
are intrigued by the new claim, but also skeptical.
The new research is "exciting, no doubt. … Archaeologists have been
looking for Mesoamerican connections to the Southwest for 100 years,"
says Robert Hard
of the University of Texas, San Antonio, who specializes in the
archaeology of the Southwest and was not involved in the new study. But,
he says, "I'm not
convinced this is chocolate."
The findings stem from collaboration between Dorothy Washburn, an
archaeologist at the University of Pennsylvania's University Museum of
Archaeology and Anthropology in Philadelphia, and her husband William
Washburn, a chemist at Bristol-Myers Squibb in Princeton, New
Jersey. In an earlier study, they detected evidence of cacao in
pottery from 11th century burial sites in New Mexico's Chaco Canyon and
in vessels from
other Southwestern sites. As a follow-up, the scientists tested
bowls excavated in the 1930s from Site 13, which dates to roughly 770
C.E.
The researchers swirled water in the bowls, then analyzed the
compounds in the rinse water with a high-resolution liquid
chromatograph-mass spectrometer,
an instrument that separates the components of a mixture and then
determines the mass of each.
They found traces of theobromine and caffeine, both found in cacao, in nearly every Site 13 bowl they tested.
They also found the telltale molecules in vessels from other villages
close to Site 13 and from two Colorado villages. Site 13's cacao is the
oldest in
North America, eclipsing the Chaco chocolate by some 300 years.

Humanity's cacao habit dates back to at least 1900 B.C.E to 1500 B.C.E.,
when Mexico's
Mokaya people were already enjoying a chocolate drink.
In Mesoamerica, cacao was mostly a food of the elite, who sipped a
foamy chocolate drink, often spiked with spices, at banquets and other
ceremonial
occasions. But an 8th century village such as Site 13 probably would
have been classless, so the chocolate would've been consumed by
ordinary people.

Monday, January 28, 2013

Here's a great recipe for Super Bowl Sunday. I've posted this recipe before, but it deserves a repost because it's perfect for Super Bowl Sunday. It contains all the Football Food Groups: Chocolate, Beer & Pretzels (or nuts). These Chocolate Beer Truffles are rolled in Crushed Pretzels, but you can use crushed peanuts or crushed beer nuts. If you're a purist, you can always roll them in cocoa!

I know this Guinness Ad isn't for the Super Bowl or even for U.S. Football, but I love it!

Directions
Melt chocolate in top of a double boiler or a saucepan over a saucepan with simmering water.
Stir in cream.
Slowly add Guinness, stirring to blend.
Cover and chill overnight.
Shape mixture into 3/4 inch balls using small scoop or melon baller or your hands- using about a tablespoon of ganache for each.
Roll in crushed Salted Pretzels (or crushed peanuts or beer nuts).

Saturday, January 26, 2013

Today is the Jewish holiday of Tu B'Shevat, the day that marks the beginning of a 'New Year' for Trees. This is the day in Israel when the earliest blooming trees begin a new fruit bearing cycle. I'm a gardener, and I live in a Mediterranean climate, so this is a holiday I love to celebrate.

About Trees in Jewish literature from Kolel:Trees figure prominently in Jewish literature and lore—from the very
first trees planted at creation and the Garden of Eden, to the trees
worshipped by King Ahaz in the final chapters of the Bible. In the
Bible, the Hebrew word for tree appears over 150 times, and more than
100 different kinds of trees, shrubs and plants are named. The Mishnah
(Masechet Zera’im in particular deals with laws of agriculture) adds
hundreds of names of plants. Midrashim, too, often use plants in similes
and parables. In all, over 500 different plants are mentioned in
classical Jewish sources. The Bible uses images and descriptions of trees but is not meant
to be a botanical encyclopedia. The names and descriptions of plant (and
animal) life are casual; many common species of plants are not
mentioned in the Bible (like the carob), while others appear only once
(such as ebony, pistachio, and walnut).

I love trees and the nuts and other fruits that grow on them. Here's a great drop cookie recipe that uses lots of different fruits and nuts. You can substitue dried apricots, raisins, currants, dates, dried figs, dried cranberries, and other nuts for any of the additional ingredients. This recipe makes a very moist chewy cookie. Eat them within 3 days. You shouldn't have any problem doing that :-)

Friday, January 25, 2013

Today is National Irish Coffee Day! Irish Coffee was invented at the Buena Vista Cafe, right here in San Francisco.

On my first day in California I was lucky to hitch a ride with a
visiting dignitary. The day's tour of San Francisco included the hills
of San Francisco, Sonoma County, the Renaissance Fair, Sausalito,
Fisherman's Wharf, the Palace of Fine Arts, Cliff House, the Golden Gate
Bridge and a stop at the Buena Vista Cafe for an Irish Coffee. I saw
more of the San Francisco Bay Area on that one day than I did over the
next ten years.

Irish Coffee at the Buena Vista Cafe is a very San Francisco tradition. The drink was invented there in 1952. The recipe was a collaborative effort between Jack Koeppler, the Buena Vista’s owner, and Stanton Delaplane, a well-known international travel writer and San Francisco Chronicle columnist.

The official story of Irish Coffee tells of the perseverance and
repeated attempts of Koeppler & Delaplane and even a trip to
Shannon Airport, where a forerunner of Koeppler’s vision was served. The
whipped cream posed a problem, but the input of a prominent dairy
farmer turned Mayor of San Francisco, solved the problem: Age the cream
for 48 hours and froth it to a precise consistency so it would float
on top of the hot coffee, to Koeppler’s specifications.

So if you're in San Francisco today, it's a big day at the Buena Vista. Stop by and raise a glass!

But this is a Chocolate Blog, so once again I wanted to post a recipe that includes Chocolate and the day's 'food' holiday.

Directions
Put Chocolate, 1/3 cup of cream, and 1/4 teaspoon of espresso powder in heatproof bowl. Put bowl in skillet of barely simmering water. Stir frequently until chocolate is completely melted and smooth. Remove bowl from skillet, stir in whiskey, and set aside.
In heatproof medium bowl, whisk eggs with 1 tablespoon water and 2 tablespoons of sugar until well blended.
Put bowl in skillet and whisk eggs constantly (to prevent from scrambling) over barely simmering water until they register 160 degrees F. on instant-read thermometer.
Remove bowl from skillet and beat at high speed with electric mixer until eggs have texture like softly whipped cream, 3 to 4 minutes.
Fold one quarter of eggs into chocolate.
Scrape chocolate mixture over remaining whipped eggs and continue to fold just until evenly incorporated.
Divide mousse into ramekins. Chill at least 1 hour, or until set, before serving.

Here's a tip for Presentation: Serve them is on a bed of peanuts. For
added crunch, roll them in the peanuts when you pick them up. You can also sprinkle them with confectionary sugar, especially during the holidays!

So in honor of the day, I thought I'd post one of the Retro Baker's Chocolate Recipe Story Ads. This one is for Chocolate Orange Cream Pie and appeared in Life Magazine on April 1, 1940. Take note of the incredibly retro comments about women pleasing men.

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

I attended the Winter Fancy Food Show in San Francisco this week, and needless to say there was a lot of chocolate. I'll be blogging about different chocolate products in the days to come, but I thought I'd mention one product that stood out for me: Bissinger's Chocolate-Covered Point Reyes Original Blue Cheese Wine Grape. It is a great combination of sweet and savory. I'm a sucker for chocolate and cheese, and local Point Reyes Original Blue is one of my favorite blues. Add a wine grape to that, and I'm in heaven. This product isn't available yet, but look for it in the next few months at Whole Foods, Neiman Marcus, smaller high end specialty shops and markets, and on the Bissinger's website.

Over two years in the making, this confection evolved as a natural progression from Bissinger’s original Chocolate-Covered Wine Grape. Plump Muscat grapes are infused with Shiraz, then incorporated with a delicate layer of Point Reyes Original Blue and finally covered in Bissinger's signature 60% European-style Chocolate. Heaven!

Chief Chocolatier, Dave Owens, says, “At first bite you taste the rich chocolate, then the sweet depth of fruit rushes forward, and finally the creamy blue cheese carries it through to the savory side.” Bissinger’s began discussions with Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Company about the idea several years ago. “The Original Blue was the only cheese we wanted for this project,” Owens said. “It is a true stand out in the industry.”

Point Reyes has a long tradition of crafting artisanal creations. “It has been a pleasure working with a company that shares our same passion and commitment to quality,” said Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Company Manager Partner-Owner, Lynn Giacomini Stray. “We strive to craft innovative confections and are grateful to be carrying on the legacy that was started by the Bissinger family in Paris centuries ago, said Kellerhals. “Bissinger’s remains committed to the high standards, heritage and the passionate attention to detail that goes into every piece we craft.”

It certainly shows in this wonderful wine/cheese/chocolate pairing. I'd love to have a bowl of them by my desk right now!

Monday, January 21, 2013

Tomorrow is Blond Brownie Day. That's a misnomer. Blondies are not brownies! They get their flavor from brown sugar and not cocoa or chocolate, but they're wonderful for exactly what they are--a great butterscotch 'brownie'.

Over the years, I've added macadamia nuts, white
chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, chocolate chips or a combination of these ingredients to the following basic recipe. The variety of additions is
huge, and the basic batter is a delicious brown sugar concoction.

Blondies are simple to make, and I highly recommend them. I use dark
brown sugar because I think it has more flavor. As in any recipe, the
quality of the ingredients makes a difference in your final product.

Saturday, January 19, 2013

Today is National Popcorn Day. Chocolate Covered Popcorn is simple to make. You can use dark
or white chocolate--or both. Just drizzle some great melted chocolate over your air-popped Popcorn.
Drizzle sparingly.

CHOCOLATE COVERED POPCORN

1. Make a bag of popcorn (buttered or plain) and pop it according to the directions. (airpopping!)

2. Put popped popcorn into large bowl or flat baking pan (for more even distribution).

3. Melt dark or white chocolate or both (in separate bowls) in top of double boiler (or in microwave).

4. Drizzle chocolate on popcorn. You can always add more chocolate, but you can't remove it, so use sparingly.

Friday, January 18, 2013

January 20 is National Cheese Lovers Day, and I immediately thought of my friend mystery writer Avery Aames, who writes the Cheese Shop Mystery series. And what goes better with cheese than chocolate?! So I asked Avery for a guest post. Lots of recipes to try and a day or so two to make them before 'the holiday'!

AVERY AAMES writes the Agatha Award-winning, nationally bestselling Cheese Shop Mystery series. As DARYL WOOD GERBER, she writes A Cookbook Nook Mystery series featuring a cookbook store owner who is an avid reader and admitted foodie. Set on the coast of California, it debuts July 2013. Daryl’s short stories have been nominated for the Agatha, Macavity, and other awards. As an actress, Daryl has appeared in “Murder, She Wrote” and more. Visit Avery or Daryl at www.averyaames.com.

AVERY AAMES:

HAPPY NATIONAL CHEESE LOVERS DAY!

“Life is great; cheese makes it better.” ~ Avery Aames

MY SECOND CAREER…AS A CHEF

No one told me that when I became a writer, in addition to spending time in my writing office, I would be spending a lot of time in a different office…the kitchen. I spent years writing novels at a desk, in the library, in coffee shops, but I never had an inkling that, for much of my time, I would wind up cooking in the kitchen. I baked as a girl. I catered at one point in my life and I waitressed in restaurants and worked in camp kitchens, but not once did I consider becoming a professional cook.

And yet here I am. I write A CHEESE SHOP MYSTERY series, so cooking has become a large part of my research. Why? Because I include recipes in my books. In addition, to promote my novels, I blog with a bunch of authors every week on Mystery Lovers Kitchen, a blog for writers who love to cook up crime. For my weekly posts and books, I do a lot of research and test recipes. Ooh, do I love research. I’ve visited cheese shops in numerous states. I’ve tasted over a hundred different cheeses in the past couple of years (ever since I started writing the series)--cheeses like Tuscan Tartufo, Brebis d’Argental, Abbaye de Belloc, Hook’s Cheddar, Beecher’s Flagship, and more. Thanks to all the cheese tasting, I’m adding cheese to tons of recipes. As a downside to being a chef, because I taste test more, I have to exercise more, which becomes a vicious cycle, similar to a rat caught in a maze…probably goes along with the cheese theme, right? LOL

I’ve made lots of recipes with chocolate and cheese. Chocolate Goat Cheese Truffles and Chocolate (with cheese) fondue. Of late, I’ve been making lots of recipes with Brie because the next Cheese Shop Mystery out is TO BRIE OR NOT TO BRIE, coming in February. I haven’t made anything chocolate-y with Brie, yet. In the book, I share a Brie Blueberry Ice Cream that is to die for! If you have a Brie Chocolate recipe, I hope you’ll share it with me.
In the meantime, let me offer this morsel. Because this blog is called Dying for Chocolate…it’s all chocolate. I don’t know about you, but I love a good dose of chocolate while I’m working. I sampled this cake at Ruth’s Chris (a steak house) and I fell in love!! Talk about taste testing. I had to taste over and over…

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 300º. Brush a 10" spring-form pan with butter, line the bottom with buttered parchment and wrap the pan in foil in case of any leaks. [MINE DIDN’T LEAK AT ALL BUT IT’S A GOOD PRECAUTION.]

In a saucepan, bring the half-and-half, sugar, applesauce, and coffee JUST to a boil. Place the chocolate into a mixing bowl. Pour the hot milk mixture over the chocolate.

Let sit for a few minutes. [It will melt nicely.]

Mix at low speed for two minutes.

Add the eggs in all at once and mix thirty seconds, until incorporated.

Pour batter into prepared spring-form pan. Bake until the cake is “set” - about 1 to 1 and 1/2 hours. The cake will still look wet and slightly loose in the very center, but the edges will be set, slightly puffed and have small cracks. [looks like a cheesecake – I cooked mine one hour then turned off the oven and let it set for another 20 minutes]

Allow cake to cool on a rack (this takes about 2 full hours), then chill for 6 hours or overnight before removing pan sides.

TIP OF THE DAY: If you don’t happen to have half-and-half on hand, I found out you can use regular milk plus 1 tablespoon of butter to create half-and-half. I haven’t tried it, but it’s a good thing to know. ☺

Question of the day:

What’s your snack of choice while reading or working?

Two commenters will win an autographed copy of YOUR CHOICE of A CHEESE SHOP MYSTERY. The Long Quiche Goodbye, Lost and Fondue, Clobbered by Camembert or To Brie or not To Brie (coming February). So make sure we have your email. Good luck.

And don’t forget to sign up for the newsletter on my website so you’ll be entered in the launch contest for To Brie or not To Brie.

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

January 16 is Fig Newton Day! My Dad was a huge Fig Newtons fan. Me, not so much. However, I love figs, and I'm using this food holiday as a jumping off point for Chocolate Covered Figs. Before I embark on recipes for Chocolate Covered Dried Figs, just wanted to let you know that Vice Chocolates' Dark Chocolate Bar with Fig &Anise is one of my favorite chocolate fig combinations!

Last summer when fresh figs were available, I posted a simple recipe for Chocolate Covered Figs. Following are two recipes for Chocolate Covered Dried Figs.
The first is alcoholic, because who doesn't love a drunken fig? The
second recipe calls for stuffing the dried figs with walnuts, but
contains no alcohol. Actually you can mix and match these recipes to
come up with whatever you think is perfect for you! As always, use the
very best chocolate and figs! Different chocolate, different figs,
different tastes!

Take figs by stems and dip in chocolate several times, covering completely.Put figs on rack over cookie sheet to catch drips.When finished dipping, chill figs in refrigerator.Non-Alcoholic Chocolate Covered Figs Stuffed with WalnutsIngredients9 figs, dried9 walnut halves5 tbsp. dark chocolate (60-75%), broken upDirectionsMake small incisions in bottoms of 9 dried figs and stuff each with a walnut half.Melt chocolate in double boiler until smooth.Holding the stem, dip stuffed figs into chocolate.Let them drip from a rack over a cookie sheet, or place on plate or wax paper.Put the chocolate covered figs on the plate or waxed paper in the refrigerator for 10 minutes or more until chocolate hardens.

Monday, January 14, 2013

Not everyone chooses a hotel by its cookies, but on check-in, the DoubleTree by Hilton offers up fresh chocolate chip cookies from a heated drawer. Recently the DoubleTree began offering a Chocolate Chip Martini at the Bar, and I posted a recipe for that sweet cocktail the other day. But what about the Cookie itself. It's really a good cookie, and I'm a bit of a cookie maven. Suppose you just want the cookie and not the stay? You can order DoubleTree Chocolate Chip Cookies from The Christie Cookie. Some of the DoubleTree Hotels also have the cookies for sale.

DoubleTree by Hilton gives out approximately 60,000 chocolate chip
cookies each day adding up to more than 21 million cookies annually. Since 1986, the DoubleTree
started handing out cookies to all its guests. Since 1995, the Christie Cookie has been the keeper of the "secret" cookie recipe. Every DoubleTree by Hilton hotel follows this
recipe and exact baking instructions to the letter to ensure each guest gets the same experience no matter which DoubleTree they visit. Cookies
are baked fresh every day at every hotel, all over the world, from
Canada to China. Each cookie is
approximately two full ounces and is filled with an
average of 20 chocolate chips. In addition, DoubleTree has donated more than
1,000,000 cookies to acknowledge and honor members of the communities
where we operate hotels. Doctors and nurses, homeless shelters and
orphanages, food banks and firefighters have all been given DoubleTree
signature Chocolate Chip Cookies.

The copycat recipe is available on the Internet from multiple sources. The secret ingredient? Well, not so secret anymore--pulverized oats. Here's the recipe for DoubleTree Chocolate Chip Cookies that you can enjoy at home. Don't want to bake? Order the cookies from The Christie Cookie.DOUBLETREE CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

Saturday, January 12, 2013

I love staying at the DoubleTree by Hilton, especially for the hot Chocolate Chip Cookies they offer at check-in. O.K.not the best reason for staying at a hotel, but for a chocoholic, it's an incentive. Now the DoubleTree offers something else. Check in, pick up your cookie and head for the Bar. You can now order a Chocolate Chip Martini garnished with a Chocolate Chip Cookie!

Want to stay at home and enjoy a Chocolate Chip Martini? Make your own.CHOCOLATE CHIP MARTINI

Thursday, January 10, 2013

These food holidays are really odd, and I'm not sure who started them and who really sanctions them, but I do. January 10 is Bittersweet Chocolate Day, not to be confused with Bittersweet Chocolate Almond Day on November 7.

Since
I eat and review chocolate, the word bittersweet isn't really part of
my lexicon. I certainly have purchased bars that are labeled bittersweet
chocolate chips and bars, but usually I buy chocolate based on its
origins, fair-trade and amount of cacao. Bittersweet is just too vague a term
for me.

According to Wikipedia, Bittersweet chocolate
is chocolate liquor (unsweetened chocolate not liqueur) to which some
sugar (typically a third), more cocoa butter, vanilla and sometimes
lecithin has been added. It has less sugar and more liquor than
semisweet chocolate, but the two are interchangeable in baking.
Bittersweet and semisweet chocolates are sometimes referred to as
'couverture' (chocolate that contains at least 32 percent cocoa butter);
many brands (the ones I like)
print on the package the percentage of cocoa (as chocolate liquor and
added cocoa butter) contained. The rule is that the higher the
percentage of cocoa, the less sweet the chocolate will be. The American
FDA classifies chocolate as either "bittersweet" or "semisweet" that
contain at least 35% cacao (either cacao solids or butter from the cacao
beans).

So using this definition, almost any of my recipes will work since I use mostly very dark chocolate.

Here's a recipe for Bittersweet Chocolate Bundt Cake
adapted from Nestle Toll House's Chocolate Pound Cake recipe. It's easy
and delicious. If you use a Nestle Toll House Unsweetened Chocolate
Baking Bar be sure and add more sugar to the recipe.

I don't always use the glaze. Sometimes I sprinkle this cake with powdered sugar, as in the photo.BITTERSWEET CHOCOLATE BUNDT CAKE

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Brr.. it's cold outside. Time to make an Icicle Cake. This Retro Advertisement and Recipe is for Dexo, an all purpose hydrogenized vegetable shortening similar to Crisco. "So Blendable. So Dependable."

Tuesday, January 8, 2013

Happy Birthday, Elvis!
We all know that Elvis loved his peanut butter and banana sandwiches, but add some bacon ad chocolate chunks and make these cookies to celebrate the day. Elvis Cookies recipe from the Cooking Channel). Some interesting ingredients, as well a preparation--in muffin tins!

Directions
Cook bacon in skillet until crisp, then drain on paper towels. Once bacon is cool, roughly chop it (you should have about 1/2 cup).
Combine flour, baking soda and salt in medium bowl.
In large bowl, beat butter, mayonnaise and sugars with mixer at medium speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until well blended. Add peanut butter and vanilla and beat until combined. At low speed, add flour mixture in batches, beating until just combined.
Using wooden spoon, stir in chocolate chunks, bacon, peanuts and banana chips.
Cover bowl with plastic wrap and chill at least 30 minutes or overnight.
Position racks in upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
Line 2 muffin tins with paper liners.
Fill muffin tins about halfway full with batter (a 2-inch, 2-ounce ice cream scoop gives you just about the perfect amount, and helps prevent spilling).
Bake until tops are slightly golden and toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. (Keep in mind that the cookies won't rise and form a dome like a cupcake.)
Let cool in muffin tins on wire racks for about 10 minutes, then unmold cookie cups and transfer to racks to cool completely.Cook's Notes: The mayonnaise in this recipe makes these cookies especially tender.

Monday, January 7, 2013

January 7 is National Tempura Day. I've had ice cream tempura in a
few local restaurants. Don't think I have the skills or inclination to
duplicate that. I've had Fried Oreos, but that's not quite the same as Oreo Tempura.

This recipe is from Sarah Lasry of Kosher Street. Although I posted this recipe a few years ago, I still haven't made this, but looking at the ingredients, seems
like a light-ish tempura batter, and the photo is divine! Oreo tempura, how can you go wrong?

1. In medium bowl, sift together flour, sugar baking powder and
salt. Whisk together sour cream, milk, eggs and vanilla. Add wet
ingredients to dry ones, mixing only enough to combine.
2. Heat oil in pot, bring to boil.
3. Using tongs, dip the cookie in batter. Get a thick coat
of batter all over cookie, With tongs, dip the battered cookie
into boiling oil and release. The cookie will float to top and
start to fry. After two minutes, flip over cookie for additional
two minutes. Cookie is ready when outside is puffed and golden.
Remove from oil and pat dry on paper towel.
4. Serve immediately with a scoop of ice cream, drizzle chocolate sauce and garnish with nuts of your choice.

Sunday, January 6, 2013

Today is National Shortbread Day, so I thought I'd revisit a previous post. Last year Walkers introduced Shortbread Scottie Dogs at the Fancy Food Show in San Francisco. I love Walker's pure butter Shortbread, and I'm a sucker for dog shapes. These Scotties are definitely BEST IN SHOW!

It's raining today, and my own pup, a Golden Retriever, came in with 'muddy boots', so I thought it would be fun to dip these Scottie dogs in Chocolate.
I used milk chocolate to be more 'mud-like'. Apologies for the
photo.. I didn't shake the cookies off after I dipped them. That would
have shown the shape better, but they still taste wonderful! And, these
Scottie Dogs don't need to be walked in the rain!

Directions
Melt chocolate and butter together in top of double boiler or
saucepan over saucepan with simmering water. Stir so it doesn't seize.
Dip Shortbread Scottie dogs in 'mud'. Remember that Scotties are low to
the ground, so dip as low as you like. Be more professional than I was,
and shake the excess chocolate from the shortbread cookie.
Put chocolate covered Scotties on parchment and place in refrigerator for 30 minutes to harden.

You can also dip in chocolate and roll in chopped nuts. You know dogs-- they pick up 'debris.'

Chocolate Whip Cream is terrific to add to desserts. It's easy
to make and delicious. You can use with just about anything including as
an icing or filling (tarts, pies, etc). Just about anything you would
use regular whipped cream for, including Strawberry Short Cake!

The first recipe for Chocolate Whipped Cream is from Martha Stewart.
Martha uses chocolate whipped cream for the filling of chocolate
sandwich cookies. Fabulous! This first recipe uses Milk Chocolate. You
can always switch and use dark chocolate, or make the second recipe.

I love these Chocolate Sandwich Cookies with Chocolate Whipped Cream, but you can use any chocolate cookie recipe--or big store-bought cookies.

Before you make either of the following two recipes, have a look. The second Chocolate Whipped Cream Recipe uses a lot more chocolate, and it's dark chocolate. Which you choose depends on what you like and need!

Directions
1. Using serrated knife, finely chop chocolate into 1/4 inch pieces and place in medium heatproof bowl.
2. Bring cream and sugar, if using, to boil in small
saucepan over medium heat. Immediately pour hot cream over chopped chocolate. Tap bowl on counter to settle chocolate
into cream, then let sit for 1 minute.
Using rubber spatula, slowly stir in circular motion, starting from center of bowl and working out to sides. Stir until all chocolate is melted, about 2 minutes.
3. Pour ganache into medium container, cover, and refrigerate
for 4 hours or overnight. It should be consistency of peanut
butter.
4. Once ganache has chilled, transfer to large bowl. Using
balloon whisk, whip ganache by hand until it just reaches soft
peaks, about 2 minutes. Be sure to lift the whisk out of cream with
each pass to bring in as much air as possible. Do not overwhip. Don't
worry if cream doesn't seem firm enough. It will have consistency of mustard but will solidify a little more after it sets in refrigerator. You can also use hand mixer.
5. Use this cream immediately to fill pastries, tarts, and cakes. After dessert is filled, refrigerate it for about 1 hour to set the
Chocolate Whipped Cream.

For National Spaghetti Day, I have two different chocolate spaghetti recipes. You can buy chocolate spaghetti online from several chocolatiers and pasta makers. My local Pasta Shop has fresh chocolate spaghetti periodically, and it freezes well.

The first recipe for Chocolate Spaghetti is from Emeril Lagasse. It's slightly more complicated
than the second recipe, but has a completely different taste and is worth the effort.

Directions
In large bowl or on a work surface, sift together flour, cocoa, 3 Tbsp sugar, and salt. Make a well in center and add eggs a
bit at time, working them into dry ingredients using circular
motion with hands. Continue working in eggs, and add vanilla and oil, until sticky dough is formed. Knead on lightly
floured surface until dough is smooth and elastic, and is no longer
sticky. (Alternatively, place dry
ingredients in bowl of food processor, add eggs, vanilla and
oil and pulse to form ball of dough. Turn out onto work surface and
work to smooth dough.) Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 20 minutes.

Divide
dough into 4 fist-sized pieces and flatten into disks. One at time, roll out each dough piece through widest setting of a pasta
machine, according to manufacturer's instructions. Remove, fold into
thirds and repeat. Continue rolling through machine on 4 times,
dusting lightly with flour to keep from sticking. Decrease roller
size down 1 notch, and roll through once, passing dough through each
setting twice until desired thickness is reached and cut into
spaghetti strands. Let dry briefly while assembling "sauce."

In
medium bowl, beat cream with electric mixer at medium speed
until it becomes thick and frothy. Beating, add sugar and Nocello,
and beat until soft peaks form, being careful not to overbeat. Set aside
until ready to serve.

Bring pot of salted water to boil
and cook pasta until just al dente, about 2 minutes. Drain in
colander. Place drained pasta in large pasta bowl and toss with
whipped cream, strawberries and nibs. Serve immediately.

Thursday, January 3, 2013

Here's one for Chocolate and Train Enthusiasts: A detailed steam-powered train--the World's Longest Chocolate Structure made of 2755 pounds of Belgian chocolate and 111.5 feet in length. This was made by Maltese master chocolatier Andrew Farrugia and unveiled at Brussels Chocolate Week!

Farrugia spent more than 700 hours on the sculpture. He
decided to create the chocolate train after visiting the Belgian
Chocolate Festival in Bruge last year.

"I had this idea for a while, and I said what do you think if we do
this realization of a long chocolate train, you know, because a train
you can make it as long as you like," Farrugia said. "Actually it was
going to be much smaller than it was, but I kept on adding another
wagon, and another wagon, and it's the size it is today."

The train's components include seven wagons modeled after modern Belgian trains. The remaining trains recall Belgium's older train wagons including one with a bar and restaurant.

Most of the structure was constructed in Farrugia's home country, but
the world record almost wasn't -- many pieces were damaged in transit to
Brussels. Farrugia managed to reconstruct the trouble spots in time for
the train's debut.

Guinness officials said they measured the train and ensured no
materials other than chocolate were used in its construction before
certifying it as the record holder in the new longest chocolate
structure category.

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Have you made any New Year's Resolutions? This Retro advertisement from 1952 begins, "Here's a resolution you can make from this minute on..." This Ad is 60 years old.. but the recipe, if not the Dexo, is still fun. I love this Chocolate Clock Cake! Perfect for the New Year!

Dexo was a brand of hydrogenated vegetable shortening similar to Crisco: "Blendable, dependable and thrifty."

And in case you want to know more about Dexo, check out this 1940s Ad: